52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 24: Fathers Day. Vivian HD Perry 1928-2005

       VIVIAN H D PERRY 1928-2005

                                         My Dad 

It is difficult to believe that if Dad had been still alive, he would have been 93 in a couple of weeks time.

So what can I write about my Dad, like most Dad's he was special, kind, funny, patient and quiet. He worked hard to make sure we, as a family, had a 'good' life.

He was born in 1928 in Purley, Surrey, the son of Maurice and Alice Perry nee Pitts. His wasn't the happiest of childhoods, his parent's splitting up before the war, although never actually divorcing.                                                          

 photo taken circa 1932

One of the happier times he spoke of was when living in St Jean de Luz, France, where his father worked as a chauffeur for the French Legation. This is where he learnt to swim, but recalling my Dad swimming he always chose  side stroke, this may have been a consequence of suffering with a shoulder that would dislocate. It was shortly after their return to England that the marriage started to disintigrate.

At the age of 11, Dad won a scholorship to The Royal School of Music in London, focusing on The Organ. Travelling to and from London during wartime independently. One of his favourite stories was cycling in Twickenham during the war, being chased by a doodlebug. Pedalling as fast as he could until he reached the church, where he alighted and rang the church bell as warning.                       

Unfortunately Dad was unable to graduate from the College, he was called up for Nationl Service in 1947, prior to his exams and the Military would not defer his call up. So he did not become a Fellow, but a Licenciate to the Royal College of Music.

Recruited to the Royal Corps of Signals, he spent much of his National Service in Egypt, in the Suez area. Contrary to what I have read about servicemen's thoughts on being posted to Egypt at this time. Dad spoke positively of his time there, he engaged with the local people, learnt a little of their language and was accepted by them. At the end of his National Service he was offered a Captaincy post with the Royal Corps of Signals, but he decided the military life was not for him and he returned to civilian life.

He returned to England and a career with the BBC, mainly working as a studio manager within the World Service and the Arabic department in particular. He bought a house in Bedfont, Middx, his mother making herself at home there. She was somewhat hostile, therefore, when he met my mother and commence a family life of his own. Mum and Dad met through their joint love of Amateur Dramatics, Mum in the cast and Dad involved with sound and lighting. They were also both in the choir of St Catherine's Feltham, where they were married.

Mum and Dad's wedding day itself wasn't without incident. His father, in order to keep the peace, with his estranged wife, did not attend, but watched his son and daughter in law leave the church from the park opposite, whilst Granny did attend the church service but refused to go to the reception afterwards. This one incident perhaps defines the nature of the estrangement of his parents and my Dad's own withdrawal from his parental families.

Dad continued his career within the BBC, for a short time he worked as a floor manager within Television, programmes he worked on, that to a child were most important, were Blue Peter and Crackerjack. I am the proud owner of a Blue Peter annual, signed by Valerie Singleton, Peter Purves, John Noakes and Biddy Baxter. However, he only stayed working in television for a short time as it impacted on family life and he returned to radio. 

In the 1970's Dad was given a 2 year contract to set up a radio station on the Gilbert and Ellis islands (now known as Tuvalu). Everything was prepared, but at the last minute a change of government led to this project being cancelled and we remained in the UK. Still working for the BBC, Dad began training new 'studio managers' and 'reporters', some of whom, over the years became household names. However in the early 1980's, Dad's health deteriorated, eventually being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and retired early on medical grounds. It was at this time, that as a family, we moved to the coast.

As his health deteriorated, so his ability to maintain his love of music and electronics became increasingly difficult. Sadly in January 2005 died, after a long hard fought battle with Cancer.

Growing up in a loving, stable family, I have much to be grateful to my parents for. Without his knowledge, Dad also left me with a fascinating legacy of his ancestors. Dad was known to describing his ancestors as 'A rum lot.' I wonder what he would have made of the fascinating heritage my genealogy journey has uncovered. 

Miss you Dad! x

Vivian Hugh Derick Perry 1928 -2005